Become a Resident in Spain - Where do you start?

When are you resident?

This is a concept that often causes confusion because in Spain there are actually 2 forms of residency. The first form is the fiscal residency, which is the same all over Europe (information can be found on www.europa.eu => Income tax abroad) and the other form is the legal residency, which means that you will get a certificate (nowadays this is the green residency card) and with this you often have access to social security.

Everything starts with the departure

You deregister from the local authority where you lived
You contact your mutual health insurance company or health care providers and tell them that you have been deregistered
You check with the local tax authorities or fiscal administration what you still have to do in terms of tax returns for the year you leave and afterwards if applicable (for example, retired civil servants this may be important).
Your personal situation may require you to make additional arrangements before you leave - find out from your local authorities, pension service, benefits office, etc.

You register yourself with the Spanish local authorities where you are going to live

To be in order in Spain you will immediately be confronted with several steps which first have to be in order before you can obtain the resident card. Spain has a procedure which has to be respected and which has its requirements.

An important point that Spain currently checks is whether you can manage financially in Spain and that your health costs are covered in one way or another. There is also a stricter control on the correctness of the address where you live, where previously you simply went to get a Padron based on a simple application you must now clearly prove where you live and how you live there (deed or rental agreement).

Once you haveobtained the resident card, only then will these aspects come into play: